News

IT is the Hampshire village where Britain’s finest warships were built in the 18th century.

Now Buckler’s Hard on the Beaulieu River has been chosen for a new shipwrights’ workshop where students will learn the art of restoring historic vessels.

Portsmouth Naval Base Prop-erty Trust (PNBPT) has received a vital grant for the project from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The trust has been awarded a total of £3.8m. Most of the cash will be spent in Portsmouth but some will be used to fund bursaries for students wishing to join the workshop scheme.Mary Montagu-Scott, daughter of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and director of Buckler’s Hard, said: “We are very excited to be working with PNBPT on this project.

“Our long held wish to revive traditional shipbuilding training at Buckler’s Hard, on the very site where Admiral Nelson’s favourite ship Agamemnon was built, is now close to fruition.”

Estate Warden, Charlie Knight, has retired from the Beaulieu Retained Fire Station after 35 years of service. Charlie joined Hampshire Fire Service in February 1978 and worked his way up to Junior Officer rank, Leading Fire Fighter, Sub Officer and finally Watch Manager, before retiring this August. During his 35 years of service he has attended many hundreds of fire calls both on the estate and the wider county, while also running Home Farm at the Countryside Education Trust and latterly, as Warden to the estate.